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genoise with dulce de leche pavlova and italian meringue

Close family and dear friends have their birthdays in August. My mother celebrated hers this week and I felt very blessed about it. A good cake for this kind of occasion is very important. I want to share an ideal cake recipe for this type of events.

A genoise is an Italian sponge cake from Geneva ( mostly used in French patisserie) It is a cake with whole eggs, sugar and plain flour that obtains its volume through the air suspended in the batter through mixing, instead of using leavenings. It is cut into layers or baked layer by layer , filled and decorated. I chose a mix similar to a pavlova (traditionally baked meringue, whipped cream and berries) only this time, due to the season, I changed the berries for "dulce de leche", an Argentine jam made out of milk, that tastes like toffee. I covered it with abundant Italian meringue. Lets celebrate!

Place the sugar and the eggs in a metallic bowl, mix slightly over a "bain marie" until it reaches 40C or is lukewarm when touched

Beat with a hand mixer or a free standing mixer until it reaches "ribbon stage" It should be pale and spongy

Add the vainilla extract

Fold the sieved flour very gently. This step is important because the batter must be filled with air, without over beating

Bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 30 minutes in a round baking dish (24cm x 5cm ), buttered and floured (It can be baked in layers, separating the batter in equal amounts and baking them for 15 minutes each)

Filling:

Whip the cream and mix it in a bowl with the "dulce de leche"

Add the pieces of baked meringue and fold

Refrigerate until used

Italian meringue:

Place the sugar and the water in a pan and make a syrup until it reaches "hard ball stage"

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks are formed

Pour the hot syrup on a smooth and steady stream over the whites, increasing the mixer to high speed

When all the syrup is incorporated, lower the speed and add the vainilla extract

Continue to beat until it reaches room temperature ( aproximately 5 minutes) and the meringue is thick and glossy

To assemble:

Layer the cake (or use the layers)

Fill with the "dulce de leche" pavlova

Cover with the Italian meringue forming waves or peaks as a decoration